Chapter 100

The banquet quietly came to an end with a cute dance by the little girl. The little princess, who had struggled to climb up the high platform, was held in Li Er's arms, chuckling. The animal exercises performed by Xiao Nianwei earlier had made Li Er very happy. Although Li Kuan brought bad news, Li Er had just ascended the throne, and mobilizing troops was not something that could be done in a short time, so it didn't matter if it took a day or two. Li Er decided to put his concerns aside and end the banquet first.

The banquet ended, and a large number of carriages poured out of the Zhuque Gate, filled with the civil and military officials of the court. The curfew had not yet been imposed, and the people of Chang'an, watching from a distance, were discussing the carriages.

After all the ministers had left, a group of people still remained in the side hall of the Lizheng Hall. The brave generals of the Tiance Mansion, including Yuchi Gong, Cheng Yaojin, Duan Zhixuan, Qutu Tong, Liu Hongji, and Hou Junji, were all there, along with the civil ministers and strategists like Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, and Du Ruhui. One could say that these were all Li Er's closest confidants. If it weren't for the incident at the Xuanwu Gate, Qin Qiong would also have been here, but he had been marginalized and excluded from this circle. When he left the palace, Qin Qiong did not see the carriages of the others, and his eyes showed boundless regret and longing. He could only shake his head and laugh bitterly as he got into his own carriage and left the palace.

In the side hall, Cheng Yaojin's expression changed. He was a man who could not hide his thoughts, perhaps because he did not want to. This was why he often did things that left others speechless, and Li Er often had to clean up after him because he did not play games. Besides Cheng Yaojin, Li Shiji also looked disappointed. Although the two of them were still not very clear about what had really happened back then, it was an undeniable fact that Qin Qiong had been marginalized by Li Er.

Li Er walked in from a side door, his mind filled with various thoughts. He took the news given to him by Li Kuan very seriously, which was why he had kept these trusted ministers. These were the people he absolutely trusted, and he was confident in his ability to judge people. Although Qin Qiong had been an issue, Qin Qiong was only repaying Li Yuan's kindness and had not harmed Li Er's interests. The main reason for their falling out was that Qin Qiong did not want to drag his brothers into trouble, and Li Er felt that Qin Qiong's willingness to bear the burden alone was a sign of distrust. Although they did not truly blame each other, they were not completely estranged. Otherwise, Li Er would not have been indifferent to Qin Qiong's frequent appearances in front of him.

"Gentlemen, we have received a piece of news of unknown origin, but it is of great importance, which is why I have kept you here. I hope you can all contribute your ideas to verify the accuracy of this news and discuss how to respond!" Li Er put aside the happy face he had shown at the banquet, and his expression became as gloomy as if it were about to rain. The conversation between him and Li Kuan had been so shocking that he had not directly revealed the content, but the ministers had heard the phrase "mobilizing troops," and they had all made their own guesses.

"Your Majesty, is there going to be a war?" Changsun Wuji was always the first to speak, given his close relationship with Li Er. Recalling Li Er's words at the banquet, Changsun Wuji had a sudden thought.

"Fuji, indeed, it is related to that. Now that there are no outsiders here, I will be frank. Kuan has given me a piece of information: Jiali is mobilizing troops, and the White Horse is being beheaded at the Wei River. The meaning of this information is clear, the Turks may be preparing to invade!" Li Er's expression did not change, and he spoke with great gravity.

"Is this information from Prince Chu? Is it reliable?" Li Shiji questioned the source of the information. This newly appointed governor of Bingzhou, with a fief of nine hundred households, was a rare wise man among the generals. He had served under the first three emperors of the Tang Dynasty and was known as the Great Wall of the Tang. His original name was Xu Shiji, and he was known for his strategic thinking and military prowess. His questioning was met with many nods of agreement.

"I agree with Brother Maogong. Prince Chu rarely leaves the palace, how could he have such important information? But Prince Chu would not take such news lightly. Although he is young, I have observed a maturity in him. It's puzzling!" Fang Xuanling, known for his strategic thinking, was also confused by the source of the information.

"I also find it hard to believe, but it's better to be safe than sorry! What do you think, my lords? It's necessary to take some precautions and send scouts to the grasslands to verify the Turks' movements." Li Er said.

"Your Majesty, I think the Turks will attack sooner or later. Why not mobilize our troops now and crush them!" Cheng Yaojin, known for his straightforwardness, spoke up. Everyone thought of him as a simpleton, so why not act the part.

"Indeed, our Tang Dynasty's troops are eager for battle. Why not crush the Turks and expand our territory? It would be a great honor for us all!" Qutu Tong also agreed.

"How can we fight? Our Tang Dynasty has just stabilized, the treasury is empty, and the people are suffering. A war would be devastating. Do you know that even during the Sui Dynasty, despite Emperor Yang's cruelty, there were still seven million households in the empire when it fell. But now? In the eighth year of Wude, there are fewer than 3.4 million households registered. Where did the other four million go? They were all lost in the wars. The young men were conscripted, and the elderly, women, and children were displaced by the fighting. Our Tang Dynasty cannot afford such a war!" Du Ruhui, appointed as the Left Attendant of the Crown Prince and concurrently as the Deputy Minister of Revenue, was a key figure in Li Er's strategy to infiltrate the aristocratic families. Even though he had just taken office, he was well aware of the overall population.

"Then we can't fight? What use are we, the generals? Don't tell me we have to defend the city, I'm not good at that!" Cheng Yaojin lost interest when he heard it wasn't about attacking. He would rather train soldiers in the Left Guard.

"Indeed, we cannot afford it! Our Tang Dynasty is not yet stable. How can we expand outward? We can only defend. There is a strong city between the grasslands and our heartland, Shuofang City. We only need to send a brave general to command there with three thousand elite troops, and we can hold out for a while, giving us time to mobilize forces from other regions to intercept the Turks." Changsun Wuji thought for a moment and spoke.

"I am willing to go!" Hou Junji, who was satisfied with his current position but felt he had not done enough to deserve it, stepped forward to volunteer.

"Since General Hou is willing to go, that is best. With General Hou in command of Shuofang City, there will be no problems!" Fang Xuanling said.

"Indeed, General Hou is the best choice among us, both in strategy and martial prowess!" Du Ruhui also agreed.

"Since both Lord Fang and Lord Du agree that General Hou is the best choice, and General Hou is willing to go, the matter is settled!" Li Er made the final decision, appointing Hou Junji to command Shuofang City.

"Very well, since the matter is settled, it's getting late. Gentlemen, you may return and rest!" Li Er waved to dismiss the meeting. The ministers bowed and left. Li Er stood in the side hall, gazing at the ceiling, lost in thought.

"Come out!" Li Er said after a long moment.

"Dark One pays respects to Your Majesty!" A figure appeared, it was Dark One, the leader of the secret guards and one of the most capable men in Li Yuan's service.

"What is the result?" Li Er asked.

"The army is fine, but the court is a mess. Many civil officials are secretly making various moves, and many of them are backed by powerful families. After a long investigation, I have confirmed that the Five Surnames and Seven Clans are the dominant force. Nearly half of the merchants in Chang'an are supported by them, meaning that nearly half of Chang'an's wealth flows into these families." Dark One had been sent to Li Er's side after Li Yuan decided to support him, following Li Er's orders. This top-tier expert was tasked with investigating the private assets and backers of the court officials, so Li Er could know which ministers belonged to which families and could place his own people without overstepping their boundaries. Li Er still had to consider the opinions of these families. As the saying goes, "A new emperor has new ministers," and Li Er needed to control the key departments to ensure the stability of the empire.

"Dark One, how many secret guards do you have?" Li Er suddenly asked.

"Including me, there are seventy-five secret guards." Dark One no longer referred to himself as "zajia" (a humble term) in front of Li Er, as Li Er was now his master. He was a loyalist, and once he pledged allegiance to someone, he would not care about others, only his master. Dark One was such a loyalist, loyal to Li Yuan and now to Li Er.

"Then, I want you to secretly form a team called the 'Hundred Riders,' to monitor all civil and military officials, reporting only to me. Can you do it?" Li Er was giving Dark One a significant responsibility, a test and a trust.

"Your servant obeys!" Dark One accepted the order without hesitation. Whatever Li Er asked him to do, he would do it well, that was his mission.

"Dismissed! By the way, send someone to investigate the situation in the Turks' territory!" Li Er added as Dark One was about to leave.

"Your servant obeys!" Dark One disappeared into the shadows. His skills were such that he could probably infiltrate the Xuanjia Army camp even without Qin Qiong's help. Li Er watched the disappearing black figure and sighed inwardly.